Fall-board and music desk combination



March 4, 1941. A F KNOBLAUGH 2233,@84

FALL-BOARD AND MUSIC DESK COMBINATION Filed April 4.11940 2 Sheets-Sheet l lmj 3 v msm/m@ March 4, 194L A F, KNOBLAUGH 2,233,984

FALL-EGARD AND MUSIC DESK COMBINATION Filed April 4, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 23, K z W Patented Mar. 4,1941

PATENT orsicr;

FALL-BOARD AND MUSIC DESK COMBINATION Application April 4, 1940, Serial No. 327,843

6 Claims.

My development relates to improved features and arrangements of fall-boards and music desks in keyboard musical instruments. It is particularly useful in small vertically strung pianos and a will be described' herein in connection with this type of instrument.

Frequently in these pianos the music desk underlies the fall-board when the latter is in its key covering position, and is raisable to a music 0 supporting position after the fall-board has been moved to its other terminal position exposing the keys for playing. While this permits the parts under consideration to serve their `useful purposes, it requires separate movements of the 1'5 music desk and fall-board by the user.

It is therefore a primary object of my development to provide a music desk and fall-board arrangement wherein the fall-board in key covering position,i overl'ies the music desk, in which .10 the movement of the fall-board or key cover member from the one to the other of its terminal positions compels the music desk to move from the one to the other of its corresponding terminal positions. By attaining this object sep- 13 arate operations of the parts are avoided and an aspect of novelty is given to an instrument.

Another object of the development is to accomplish the foregoing object in an economical and convenient manner with minimum parts.

:Lil The manner of attaining the above objects and those objects which will' be indi-cated hereinafter or occur to those skilled in the art on reading -this specification, will now be set forth by means of a detailed description of certain examples of .i2-5 the development and' their operation. These are illustrated in the accompanying drawings cooperating in the description, wherein like parts are represented by like indices and wherein;

Figure l is a front elevational View of the upper part of a small piano incorporating a fallboard and music desk combination in one example of the development, in raised position;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the plane corporated, the drawings illustrate a small vertically strung piano having an upright arrangement of a back I supporting a stringplate 3 and strings 4. Side arms 5, 5 are attached respectively to the vertical ends of the back so as to 5 extend -forward therefrom to the front of the instrument The top edges of the arms are illustrated as curving downward in extending forwardthis is a matter of artistic design. In vertical compass the arms 5, 5f extend from the 10 top of the back I down to the under surface level of the horizontal keybed 6, attached to the arms so as to be disposed therebetween at a suitable height. Supported on the keybed is a keyboard of playing keys 1. As shown, both the keybed t and keyboard l extend rearward substantially from the front of the piano, the iront manually operable portion of the keyboard being pointed out at 8. Actuation of the keyboard keys operates a piano action (not shown) to motivate hammers 9 for striking the tone producing strings 4. Supports for the instrument comprise the back I and the legs I5, I il attached to the iront corners of the keybed.

As a support for a music desk-fall-board arrangement of the development in an instrument such as above described, I have provided between the arms 5, 5 a cove -construction II located as illustrated above the keyboard level and behind the front portion 8 of the keyboard; 30 This construction functions as a base on which operates a music desk-fall-board arrangement, as will be more particularly described below, and also forms a closure for internal mechanism of the piano (such as the aforedescribed parts I, 3, 4, and 9). Supports for the construction comprise blocks such as I2 attached respectively to the inside wall of the arms 5, 5, and the keyblocks I3, I3 located on the keybed 6 so as to extend rearward from the front edge thereof '40 between the keyboard l and the respective side arms.

In detail Vthe construction Il comprises the parts I4, l5, I5', I l, and I1 rigidly attached together. The member I4 of the construction com- 45 prises a horizontally disposed board extending between the arms 5, 5 immediately behind the front portion 8 of the keyboard and resting on the aicrenoted keyblocks I3, I3. Secured to the upper side of the member I4 adjacent its 50 rear edge are the two interspaced strips I5, I5 extending toward each other from adjacent the respective side arms 5, 5'; and secured to the upper surfaces of these strips is the horizontally disposed board I6 extending rearward therefrom 55 `between the side arms to a position near the strings 4. This member I6 rests on the aforenoted blocks I2. The construction is completed by the board I'I, secured to the rear edge of member I6, likewise to extend between the side arms 5, 5 andi extending upward immediately in front of the tuning pins of the strings 4, as shown, to the top edges of the rear parts of the arms. A cover I8 for the back, stringplate, etc., may be hinged to the back I so as to rest on the side arms and to extend forward over the top edge of the board I1.

I find it convenient to preassemble the construction II and a music desk-fall-board arrangement into a unit, for installation as such in a piano, screwing the unit to its supports I2, I3, I3 when installed. This I find advantageous both in manufacturing and in the tuning or regulation of an instrument, wherein the unit offers convenient removal for the purpose;

Coming now to the example of the development shown in Figures l, 2, and 3, there is shown a key cover member or fall-board I9 extending between the arms 5, 5. As illustrated this fallboard includes a main board 20 and is pivoted along a long edge thereof to the member I6 of the cove construction II, along the front edge of member I6 by means of a long hinge 2| (often called a continuous hinge). Attached to the board 20 adjacent the other long edge thereof is a board 22, to form a key cover member of L- shaped section. This member I9 when in covering position is disposed as in Figure 3, with the board 20 located horizontally in front of and on a level with the member I6 of construction II, so as to overlie the front portion 8 of the keyboard, while the board 22 depends in front of the keyboard to rest on a keyslip 23 extending upward from along the front edge of the keybed 6. To uncover the front portion 8 of the keyboard for use the fall-board is swung upward and rearward on the pivot means 2|, to move into its other terminal position, Figure 2, with the board 20 disposed horizontally on top of the member I6, and the board 22 extending upward in front of the member I'I, of the cove construction.

Pivoted to the fall-board IS by means of interspaced butt hinges 24, 24', is a music desk comprising a flat member 25 of ornate character and of sufficient size for use, when erected, as a back rest for music sheets. This desk 25 is located centrally between the arms 5, 5', of such length as to be within the compass of the space between the strips I5, I5 of the cove construction. Referring to Figure 3, the desk is horizontal when the fall-board is in key covering position, underlying the fall-board in a -position between it and the member I4 of the cove construction, and the hinges 24, 24', located axially in a line parallel to the axis of the hinge 2 I, are attached to the upper side of the music desk and to the lower side of the board 20 of the fall-board. As further shown in Figure 3, hinges 24, 24 are attached to the board 20 in a rear part thereof with a part of the desk 25 extending rearward from the hinges to underlie the member I6 of the cove construction.

The relative disposition of parts is such that as the fall-board is swung from the position of Figure 3 to that of Figure 2, it compels the music desk 25 to swing to the upright position (inclined slightly rearward) of Figure 2 suitable for supporting music sheets. To accommodate the swing of the desk a recess has been made in the central part of the rear edge of the cove construction member I4, the desk abutting against the felt-covered vertical face 34 of member I4 within this recess, when in upright position; and the forward part of the upper surface of member I4 has been grooved conveniently at 2S to cooperate with the music desk as a bottom rest in supporting music.

Proper movement of the music desk as compelled by fall-board motion takes place whether the hinges 24, 24' are free or tight With the hinges free the desk remains substantially horizontal (due to the heavier part of the desk in front of the hinges) being raised slightly about its rear edge contacting the lower side of member I6 of the cove construction-until the fall-board reaches an intermediate point in its swing (for quiet operation rubber buttons are provided at the rear edge of the music desk and on other parts, as illustrated). `.At this interu mediate point the desk comes in contact with the lower corner of the front edge of the member I6; further movement of the fall-board to its rear terminal `position then rotates the desk to its upright position of Figure 2 with the desk A abutting against the member I4 of the cove construction and the front of the hinge 2|, to be held thus in position for supporting music. With the hinges 24, 24 tight, the desk rotates with the fall-board until the latter reaches an intermedi- ,s

ate position whereat the desk contacts the member I4, thence moving slightly upward and rearward to its final position of Figure 2 as the fallboard completes its motion. A reverse of the above type of operations occurs in rotating the ried by the music desk as a grooved member 23,

of somewhat lesser length than the desk, to form therewith a music desk of L-shaped section, and the cove member I4 has an additional recess, as shown at 35, to accommodate motion of this part 28. Use of a bottom rest as 28 carried by the desk permits music to be placed at a higher position than in the arrangement illustrated in Figures 1, 2, and 3, of advantage to those who desire an elevated music reading position.

In the examples shown in Figures 5 and C, music desk hinges 29 are attached to member IB of the cove construction. Like hinges 24, 24', hinges 29 are parallel to hinge 2|; and are attached to the lower side of member IS in a front part thereof just below hinge 2| and to the rear side of the music desk near its lower edge, as viewed in the Figures 5 and 6. Movement of the music desk by the fall-board is accomplished by a linkage type of connection between the two, attached, in the raised positions shown in the figures, to the upper side of the fall-board member 20, and to the rear side of the music desk above and somewhat forward of the rst point of attachment. In Figure 5 this linkage arrangement is shown as a bar 30 pivoted at its respective ends by hinges 3| and 32 to the music desk and fall-board, whereas in Figure 6 the linkage comprises a fiexible strap 33. The rigidity of bar 3l] retains the music desk in proper music supporting position, whereas the strap 33 is of such length as `to be fully extended when thc desk is in position for use, so as to retain the desk against the cove member I4.

It will be understood that modifications may be made in my development without departing from its spirit. Thus while certain examples of it were set forth above in connection with a particular type of piano, these are not necessarily limitative since the `development is not insusceptible of nding expression in other examples, either in connection with pianos or" the above type or with other keyboard instruments. Accordingly the scope oi the development is pointed out in the following claims which comprise:

I claim:

1. The combination in a musical instrument of a keyboard having a front playable portion, a keyboard cover member disposed over said portion and rearwardly pivoted to said instrument so as to be swingable to a rear position exposing said portion for playing, a music desk member of vsuillcientsize for use as a back support for music sheets, underlying said cover member and pivoted to said instrument so as to be swingable to a substantially upright position for said use as said cover member is swung to said rear position, and linkage means connecting said cover member and said music desk member whereby said music desk member is swung to said'upright position as said cover member is swung to said rear position.

2. The combination as set forth in claim 1, including stop means for said music desk member when in said upright position, and wherein said linkage means comprises a flexible strap of such length as to be fully extended when said members are in rear and said upright positions respectively so as to hold said music desk member against said stop means.

3. The combination in a musical instrument of a keyboard having a front playable portion, a keyboard cover member disposed over said portion and rearwardly -pivoted to said instrument so as to be swingable to a rear position exposing said portion for playing, a music desk member of suflicient size for use as a back support for music sheets, underlying said cover member and pivoted thereto so as to be swung to a substantially upright position for said use, by said cover member as said cover member is swung to said rear position, and means limiting the swinging of said music desk member from said underlying position 'to said upright position.

4. The combination as set forth in claim 3, wherein said means includes a stationary music supporting shelf located so as to be in front of said music desk member when said member is in said upright position so that said member abuts against said shelf when in said upright position.

5. The combination as set forth in claim 3, wherein said music desk member carries a music shelrn 'to form with said member an L-shaped swingable structure suitable for holding music when said member is in said upright position.

6. The combination in a musical instrument of a keyboard having a front playable portion, a fall-board disposed over said portion and rearwardly pivoted to said instrument so as to be swingable to a rear position exposing said por tion for playing, and a music desk member of sufficient size for use as a back support for music sheets, having operative association with said fall-board and said instrument whereby when said fall-board is in said position over said keyboard front portion said desk member underlies said fall-board and when said fall-board is in said rear position said desk member is in a substantially upright position for said use.

ARMAND F. KNOBLAUGH. 

